Be There
by suitsfan
Summary: It's Harvey, not Rachel that has to break the news to Mike at the end of of 2x09.


Spoilers for 2x09. Just to be clear.

* * *

"You've got a phone call on line two," Donna calls out to him over the intercom.

"Tell them I'm busy."

"They say it's urgent."

"Everybody thinks their case is more urgent than the next person's."

"It's something about Mike."

Those words instantly get Harvey to stop what he's doing.

"Go ahead and put them through," he says.

Harvey's already put off by the way they're speaking to him, soft and gentle, which the more and more they talk quickly becomes a stark contrast against the harshness of the words they're saying to him.

Harvey's been accused of not having a heart in the past, by more than one person, and now, in this very moment he wishes it were true, because then he wouldn't have to feel the way it just shattered like glass inside his chest.

He swallows hard enough that it echoes in his ears and does his best to sound like himself long enough to thank them for calling and assuring them that he would pass along the information to Mike.

"Harvey," Donna says to him. She hadn't listened in to the conversation at all, but she didn't have to. The look on Harvey's face says everything she didn't want to know.

"Where's Mike at?"

Donna manages to get him an address, and Harvey heads off.

He gets from point A to point B so fast that it's a total blur. He's consumed by the overwhelming need to be there for Mike, despite knowing that Mike is currently blissfully unaware of the way his world is about to come crashing down around him.

When he finally manages to get out the car his feet feel like lead, dragging with each and every step of the way like anchors all the way up to the door.

He takes a deep breath in, if only to reassure himself that he could still do it, and knocks on the door.

"Surpr- Harvey? What are you doing here?"

"Hey. Can I?" Harvey gestures towards the inside of the apartment.

"Oh yeah, of course. Come in!"

Harvey follows Mike through and shuts the door behind them.

"I know it's not perfect, but I think she's really going to love it. I-"

"Mike."

Mike continues to move things around on the mantle, trying to find the perfect spot for each thing.

"I know you think I don't have good taste in things, but I was going to get Donna and Rachel to help me out and-"

"Mike," Harvey says again. The tone in his voice is miles away from anything that sounds like Harvey ever has. It makes Mike stop dead in his tracks.

"Harvey, what's wrong?"

"You have me listed as your emergency contact. I got a phone call."

"A phone call about what?" Mike says, slight panic creeping into his voice.

"I don't know how to say this to you."

"Just say it, Harvey."

"It's your grandmother, Mike. She's… passed away."

"What?"

"I'm so sorry."

"She can't..No..I mean..I didn't even get to.." Mike's words start to trail off as the realization of Harvey's words him like a freight train and are quickly replaced by full on sobs as he all but collapses into Harvey's arms.

Harvey wraps his arms around him tight, and just holds him as Mike completely unravels in his arms. Harvey wishes he had some reassuring words to say or could give him a promise that it would be okay, but words and promises would just seem trivial in this very moment. All he can do is be there for him.

Harvey's not sure how long they stay embraced like that. It feels like forever, but when they break apart it's still all too soon because Mike looks so damn broken that Harvey wants nothing more than to pull him back into his arms.

"Harvey," Mike says, his voice shaky and just a notch above a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"Can we stay here tonight?"

"If that's what you want. Of course."

Harvey manages to find some blankets in the linen closest and sets them up on the floor. He crawls down on the floor and Mike does the same, wrapping an arm around Harvey's waist and resting his head on his chest.

They stay just like that from the time the sun goes down, until the time the sun starts to shine through the window in the early morning's light. Not a single word spoken between them.

There are a few times when Harvey hears Mike wake up and start to cry again throughout the night. Harvey just squeezes him a little tighter when he does, as a means of letting him know that he's still very much there for him, the very way he always will be.


End file.
